City Year

Mission

City Year’s mission is to build democracy through citizen service, civic leadership and social entrepreneurship. It is through service that we can demonstrate the power and idealism of young people, engage citizens to benefit the common good, and develop young leaders of the next generation.

City Year is wholly focused on fighting the national dropout crisis. We have committed to leverage the talent, energy and idealism of corps members to serve as tutors, mentors and role models in schools to help students stay on track – and get back on track – to graduate

Our corps members do this by focusing on three early warning indicators that have been defined through research: attendance, behavior and course performance in math and English.

City Year’s In School & On Track initiative is designed to bring City Year corps members to 50% of all of the students falling off track in City Year’s 24 U.S. locations, which will require expanding the number of corps members to 6,000 and engaging school districts, the private sector and the federal government through AmeriCorps as partners.

About

One million students drop out of school each year, and half of those dropouts come from just 12 percent of schools. City Year’s Long-Term Impact strategy will challenge the status quo, dramatically increase the graduation pipeline and transform the future for thousands of students in America.

Our Goal

Students who progress to 10th grade with their peers are four times more likely to graduate than students who fall behind. Our Long-Term Impact goal is to ensure 80% of the students in the schools City Year serves reach 10th grade on track and on time, and to serve the majority of at-risk students in the locations City Year serves. City Year will focus that service in the communities where the dropout challenge is most concentrated, ultimately serving in the cities that account for two-thirds of the nation’s urban dropouts.

Our Strategy

Students at risk of dropping out can be identified as early as elementary school by three early warning indicators known as the ABC’s: poor Attendance, disruptive Behavior and Course failure in math and English. City Year partners with public schools and provides the extra people power to help schools implement intervention that research shows to be effective, for the right students at the right times.

By focusing our work in 3rd-9th grade, we provide a continuum of care, and identify patterns so students who need help receive multiple, consecutive years of intervention and support. Our Long-Term Impact strategy ensures students have an opportunity to improve their performance that couldn’t be achieved by focusing on a single grade or single intervention alone.

The Corps Experience: Give a year. Change the world.

Beginning each day before the first school bell rings and staying until the last child leaves the after-school program; you and your diverse team of young people will serve students, schools and communities through:

Academic Support:

Provide one-on-one or small group tutoring before, during and after school

Attendance and Positive Behavior Encouragement:

Lead energetic morning greetings, make attendance and positive phone calls home and lead mentor groups

Community and School Improvements:

Organize and lead activities, celebrations and projects to improve the community and school environment

Team Based Service

Teamwork is at the heart of City Year’s approach to service and social change. As a City Year corps member, you will be assigned to a team of 8-15 people at the beginning of the year and will serve with that team for the duration of the year.

You will serve as a member of a highly diverse group of young people from different racial, ethnic, educational and socio-economic backgrounds that are determined to make a difference.

Interacting with and working alongside individuals with different perspectives and life experiences breaks down social barriers and helps us see what we have in common

Witnessing diverse teams of people working together successfully can be an invaluable learning experience for you as well as the communities and children you serve

In School Service

During the school day, corps members meet the needs of teachers and students by:

Providing 1:1 or small group tutoring in English or math

Facilitating morning greeting activities and games to excite students for the school day

Making phone calls home to students who are chronically absent

Assisting teachers in classrooms

Meeting with behavior groups

Organizing and leading student councils

After School Programs

Studies have shown that students are more likely to engage in dangerous behaviors during after school hours, which is why City Year corps members serve in after school programs to provide students with a safe, structured and engaging alternative.

Here are examples of what corps members lead during after school program:

Homework centers

Social enrichment lessons on a variety of social issues including poverty, environmental awareness and health and safety

Clubs to adhere to different learning styles including art, creative writing, music and physical education

Application Deadlines

Apply by:

Notified after:

September 30

October 21

November 15

December 16

February 15

March 16

April 30

May 30

We are currently accepting applications on a rolling basis for the 2013-2014 corps year. Due to the high volume of applications we are processing at this time, it may take longer than usual for us to get back to you. Please be patient during this time.